Malaysiakini Staff Detained For Wearing Dangerous T-Shirt

Have you ever heard anything more ludicrous and silly. Oliver was detained for 3 hours by the police for wearing a t-shirt with a logo ‘No to ISA’. He and another two friends were on their way to attend a national level open house ceremony and Oliver was detained for wearing a dangerous shirt. As a result of wearing a dangerous shirt, he was considered a threat to the VVIPs which included Najib. I have wrecked my mind what could be dangerous with a t-shirt, besides its use as a weapon to wring a person’s neck. I am also sure the VVIPs including Najib were wearing some form of shirt, not necessarily a t-shirt, and the open house was a gallery of people wearing dangerous apparel.

Oliver was given the option to remove the offending t-shirt, or stay in the police beat base. He refused to go naked and as a result spend 3 hours detained.

At one stage he was even asked if he was paid to wear the t-shirt, I can’t blame Oliver for just saying no, he could have easily retorted yes he was paid by the 60 odd people detained under ISA, which could have entailed a longer wait at the police beat base.

ACP Wan Abdul Bari is reported to have said, Oliver was detained for documentation purposes and for his reasons for being at the event. This is even getting more mysterious. The national level Deepavali open house was organised by the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and therefore it was an open invitation for all and sundry. Have the police got soooo…. security conscious that wearing a t-shirt with a logo, a cap on the head, an ear ring, and what more have you, all these can be considered dangerous depending on how twisted your thinking is, and may require the person to be documented and also to state the reason for being there.

What a led down for the organiser, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, a person coming for his function being detained. Hindraf attended the function of the Prime Minister and the organisation was banned. Perhaps the Minister concerned will have something to say.

The morale of the story is, do not attend open house ceremonies organised by any Ministry where VVIPs are gathered, you can be detained by the police for wearing something dangerous.